TV

Why You Should Be Watching Black Mirror

Black Mirror has been the cause for much conversation among people, and if you haven’t seen this superb Netflix produced show, then you’re missing out. Black Mirror explores the dark intricacies of modern technologies and how its effect on the human condition. The show is an anthology, with each episode being its own contained story. The fourth season was just released in December, and it is no exception to the incredible stories it has already told in previous season. If you ever wondered where the show gets its name, all you got to is look at your blank phone screen and you have your answer. While the show is incredibly dark, and can be very depressing in some episodes, here is why you should be watching this show.

The fact that this show is an anthology makes this show almost seem like a collection of small movies. Rather than having to keep up with a recurring cast of characters and themes, each episode introduced you to a brand new story line. This makes for a completely unique viewing each time you put on a new episode. Each episode could take place in the near future, or some far off time, so you never know what you’re going to get. Despite the futuristic vibe of it, it is darkly familiar, which only adds to the unsettling themes so omnipresent in the series.

Since each episode is unique from the others, you will get to meet a wide range of characters. Black Mirror is known for masterfully blending British and American performers into its episodes. While traditionally a British produced show, the show runners have since introduced American performers into the mix, and it works wonderfully. Some actors you might recognize in the series include Jon Hamm, Rory Kinnear, Janet Montgomery, and Tobias Menzies. Black Mirror is also home to several stars who have been on Game of Thrones, including Oona Chaplin and Natalia Tena.

If you haven’t got the hint that this show is dark, well then let me reiterate: it is downright terrifying. I’m not talking jump scares, or typical horror fanfare, but rather psychological terror as well as a brutal interpretation of our modern lives. The show is designed to leave you with a gnawing impression of what could come to be in our future. Some of the characters are downright disturbing, and can really rub off on you. The scenarios which are present in this show make you wonder if they really are in humanities future if we continue on the path we have set ourselves on. That’s the brilliant part of this show, as it truly makes you put yourself in the worlds they build, and makes you shudder at the thought of how realistic it is.

Black Mirror sets out to relay a message upon its viewers. While this is normally seen as bad, the messages implied in each episode act as food for thought, and artfully accomplishes this task. The societal warnings given in some of the episodes are truly a cause for concern, and has sparked debate in intellectual circles. Whether it be environmental concerns that are explored in the episode titled “Hated in the Nation” or the harmful aspects of a social media driven society, which is explored in “Nosedive” each story causes you to truly think of how technology is shaping our lives.